


Our Solemn Hour

by etoilecourageuse



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Azkaban, Community: rarepair_shorts, Death Eaters, F/M, Insanity, Second War with Voldemort, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Wartime, Wartime Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:12:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9339044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etoilecourageuse/pseuds/etoilecourageuse
Summary: They meet in the shadows, becoming one with the night.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sirmioneforever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirmioneforever/gifts).



It felt as though in this year winter had banished the sun entirely from the sky. Darkness reigned and she was glad for it, as she had always preferred night to day, even as a girl, and so much more now. The night gave her shelter, would make her feel safe in times that were so far from safe, and ensure her free movement as it was so easy for her to hide within the dark, nearly becoming one with her surroundings in her black hood, thick locks of equally coloured hair covering almost her entire face. 

She was moving fast as she dared not Apparate, nearly silently, fingers grasping tightly about her wand in her pocket. Soon… So soon it would be over, so soon she would no longer need to hide, so soon it would not matter whether she were discovered during a mission or even a simple walk at night… So soon they would reign, and how triumphantly so… There was no doubt that they would emerge from this war victorious, no doubt that they were mere steps away from what they had fought so hard to achieve. They would destroy all those opposing them, would spare no one, and how gladly would she deliver the Dark Lord the head of his enemies… 

But until then she would remain a shadow, the silent whirlwind she had always been, nearly invisible to human eyes and beyond dangerous to those who dared to obstruct her path. But even if she were to be seen, why should she care? No one would ever betray her, no one at all, and those who attempted would come to regret it. Yet, her sister had not allowed her to leave until she promised to be careful, her blue eyes imploring her in a way that even Bellatrix Lestrange found it difficult to deny her; perhaps it was for the best after all, perhaps this was not the time for recklessness. 

The fog would give her further protection in this night, blurring even her own sight and causing her difficulties in assessing her surroundings, certainly not in favour of those who might be after her. But no… No, it did not seem as though she were followed, not in this night or perhaps not yet, but even if she was mistaken, even if they were behind her… Wouldn’t she merely laugh and so easily rid herself of those who dared defy her, never to be bothered by them again? How many people they must have lost… And how foolish they were to assume… 

She laughed truly now, the shrill sound breaking the silence by force; how absurd it had been to hide within the darkness as though she were a coward, and how fatuous to listen to Cissy, who had always worried too much, even as a child. A shadow… Bellatrix would gladly turn into a shadow once more as soon as the Dark Lord required her to do so, would gladly go into hiding as soon as _he_ deemed it necessary… But now? Now, why should she? 

It was still strange to her at times, to move in the way she did, strange to walk in what nearly felt like full liberty, to raise her voice whenever she desired to, strange to breathe in the fresh winter’s air, as she had spent too many nights nearly suffocating in the mould, mute and incapable of even raising her head. 

But those times were long gone. Why should she still waste her thoughts on the past when it required her full strength to focus on the present, why should she still bother to remember what she had been so eager to forget? 

Again she laughed, shaking her head at her own folly. Shouldn’t she know better than to allow her mind to drift, especially in times like these? She fastened her pace, as this was not one of her aimless wanderings through the streets, as she knew that she was expected, could not keep her heart from beginning to palpitate wildly within her chest. So foolish, and yet… 

She would not cease to walk, would not stop and nearly began to run until she no longer knew where she was, until she had lost any orientation… Then, only then was it time to Apparate, as so suddenly reason seemed to return to her. 

He was waiting for her. Standing there in the alley they had chosen for their encounter and one with the darkness, just as she had been before liberating herself from any caution during her walk. He was waiting for her, scarcely moving even as she flung herself into his arms and kissed him, kissed him with such passion… 

Had Bellatrix ever missed a person before, had she ever before felt concern, it had been nothing compared to this, nothing compared to what she had been forced to go through in the past months and years, nothing to this… The Dementors had not broken her, had never been capable of doing the damage they had intended, her cell had soon ceased to bother her… But to be apart from him? To be torn from him, and years and years to hear nothing of him, nothing at all besides muffled screams? His voice… How she had once loved his voice, but now? Now, she could scarcely remember its sound. Had she once denied herself the privilege to feel, to feel anything, had she once forced herself to close her heart to whatever emotion might overwhelm her, even she seemed powerless against this, against the force of… 

She loved him. There was no shame in admitting that she loved her husband, that she loved Rodolphus Lestrange more than words could describe, more than she had ever loved anyone else. She loved him so fiercely, yet had always known to prevent love from interfering with their purpose, had never lost herself and wouldn’t as long as she lived, knew that he wouldn’t either… But he, too, adored her, he, too, had certainly missed her in a way that resembled her own… 

Only briefly had they been reunited during their escape, scarcely recognising one another before being so violently separated once more, Bellatrix finding herself in her younger sister’s home upon waking from unconsciousness, and Rodolphus… She had not known about her husband’s place of refuge, and never learned of it, even weeks after her recovery. 

The Dark Lord had denied them their wish to speak or to see each other, even during their gatherings, had forced them to live isolated from one another for a reason Bellatrix did not understand, and dared not ask. It was out of caution perhaps, as they were so constantly watched, or to ensure their full focus… In truth she did not care, could not care less about the reasons they were to present her with as deep inside she knew that no explanation in this world could possibly justify what it meant to her… To them… 

It was their punishment, perhaps, the punishment for their recklessness all those years ago, the punishment for their failure that had lead to imprisonment… What else could it be? Why else would the Dark Lord tear them apart by force, fully aware of how well they had worked together in the past? Their punishment… 

They had planned their encounter for weeks with the utmost caution, fully aware of the consequences they were to face should they be discovered, yet neither of them afraid, neither of them hesitant. Never would they defy the Dark Lord, had dedicated their lives and everything beyond to him, so glad to die in his name, but how… How could they possibly obey him in such a matter? How could they possibly live in liberty and not be together, together as they had been for nearly their entire lives? It had been so long… So long since they had last looked into one another’s eyes, so long since they had last spoken, last touched each other… It had been so long since they had last…. 

Even after all those years, all those tormented years so full of emptiness, their love, their passion, had not faded, would never fade, not even in death. Bellatrix would not let go of him, would never let go of him if only she could, would take him with her to their former home and pretend that nothing had happened, pretend that time had stood still and that they were in no danger. Their kisses would not cease, not even as they were forced to draw breath, would not cease until hours later dawn began to break. 

It was the fog that granted them further time even in the daylight, that would protect them in their silent embrace. Still… Still they would not speak, still they would scarcely move, as though they had turned into stone... If only they had. If only they had turned into stone, if only they were capable to remain in this position forever… But no. 

Once more she kissed him, only once more Bellatrix would press her lips so firmly against his, only once more… She did not know when they would see each other again, did not know whether or not they would be reunited at all, whether or not the Dark Lord were to grant them what they both desired so desperately, perhaps upon their next victory… Only once more… 

It was Rodolphus then who stepped away from her, his dark eyes resting upon her until the last moment, until so quietly, only for her to hear, he whispered her name, and only a moment later disappeared into nothing.


End file.
